Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-02-21
PRIVATE PENSION BILLS.
Veto OF the President In two Remark
able Cases,


able Cases.
Washington, Feb. 19-The president
sent two messages to the senate to-day
vetoing an act granting o pension to
Charlotte O'Neal end an act granting a
pension to John Reed, 81. The first.
named bill proposed to grant a pension
to the widow of Richard O'Neal, late
colonel of the twenty.sixth regiment
Indiana volunteers. In his message in
this case the president says: 1.-THE
records of the war departments fail to
show that there was q colonel of the
twenty .sixth Indiana regiment named
Richard O'Neal, but 1t does appear that
Richard Neal WAS 9 lieutenant colonel
OF said regiment; that he was
mustered in August 81, 1881, and
resigned June sc, 1862. IT this is
the officer whose widow is named in the
bill the proposition is to pension the
widow Of o soldier who,after ten month";
service. resigned, and who, seven months
after his resignation, died of . disease
whlch was in nc name related to his
military service. There is besides euch
q discrepancy between the name given
in the bill and the name OF the officer
n III q I'LL II =AA4AA Gt10
regiment mentioned that il the merits
were with the widow the bill would
need further congressional legislation.
In his message returning the act
granting q pension to John Reed, ST..
the presidents says: 1.-The records show
that the beneficiary named in this bill
filed an application for q pension In 1877,
alleging that he was the father of John
Reed, who died in the service, and that
his wife. the mother the deceased
soldier, died May 10. isi72, and that he
lthe father) was mainly dependent upon
his son for support. He filed evidence
OF the mothers death and one witness
alleged that he was present at her death
and attended her funeral. In 1854
Martha Reed, motherof the soldier. fled
her application for o pension in which
she at first claimed TO be the widow OF
John Reed. She afterward, however,
alleged that her husband, John Reed,
abandoned his family in 1859, and had
not thereafter contributed to their sup
port, and that the soldier was her main
support after such abandonment. She
wat allowed q pension as q dependent
mother, which commenced In 1862, the
date Of her sons death. and seems to
have terminated Jniy 20, 1884, when she
dad. Tho claim OF the father was
rejected in 1888 Tor the reason that the
mother, who had q prior right was
still living. and when his claim
was sgain presented in 1885 he was
informed that his abandonment of his
family in 1859 preoluded the idea that
he was entitled to a pension aa being
dependent upon the soldier for support.
or course these decisions were correct
In Law. in equity and in morals. This
demonstrates the mean employed in
the attemptto cheat the government in
applications for psnsions--too often
successful. The deposition OF 1887 OF
the man who now poses as the aged and
dependent father Of the dead soldier
that the mother died in 1872. when ut
that time her claim was pending for q
pension largely based upon
his abandonment, the affidavit
OF the man who testified
that he saw her die in 1872, the effrontry
of this unworthy father renewing his
claim after the detection of his fraud
and actual death of his mother, and the
allegation Of the mother that she was
a widow, when, in fast, she was an
Abandoned wife, show the processes
which enter into these claims for PEN
stone, and the holiness with which plans
IRE sometimes concerted to rob the
government by actually traficking in
death and imposing upon the sacred
sentiments of patriotism and national
gratitude"